RivNut

Our 'Social Gathering' is now on the schedule of events. http://www.rivowners.org/features/annualmeet/Lexington13/index.html

Excusez-moi; mon faux pas; How about side by side AND tandem in one car.

Pete hit the nail on the head here. Open this link and see what Barris has done to other Buicks, lots of which were supplied to him by Buick. It appears that he may have had a chat with Bill Mitchell before coming up with the Villa Riviera - hidden headlights! It took Bill two years into production to get it on the factory car. George was good at chopping tops, opening wheel wells, modifying grills and taillights, but he really didn't come up with any creative ideas for completely different cars. Palm Springs Automobilist: Villa Riviera Ed

In an earlier thread, someone was suggesting tranplanting a radial engine into a 50's Buick. That reminded me of how the U.S. Air Force used to start the engines on their SR71 Blackbirds. Two 425 cubic inch Buick Wildcat (nailheads) in tandem in a cart brought the jet's turbine up to speed before ignition. The Buicks were said to be the only engines with enough torque to hold the turbines at speed until they could be ignited. More reading on the web if you're interested. Now on permanent display at Hill AFB, Utah.

You HAVE to post a picture of this!

Buick sponsored the 1958 TV series "Wells Fargo" which starred Dale Roberston. Take a look at the '58 "Wells Fargo" Limited Convertible made for him. Can you imagine getting pulled over in this thing and the cops reaction to the 'hardware' on the door panels and the console. There's more on the web if you're interested and there's a 1:18 diecast available.

One of the biggest warnings I try to give to people looking for parts is DO NOT TRUST the guy on eBay who advertises his part to fit 63/64/65 Rivieras, thinking that everything is the same. Even the "horse shoe" scallops on the sides are dfferent from 63 and 64. A couple of years ago, I was helping the guys at Highway 61 when they were thinking about producing a '63 diecast model of the Riviera. They had done a '64 (based on Ed Pentico's car) and thought that making a '63 wouldn't be too much of a change. By the time I got through sending pictures of all the obvious differences to them, I think they gave up on the idea. The '63 diecast never went into production. Ed

O contrair. The '65 front fenders are different than the '63/64's. There is very little sheet medal below the crease on a '65 compared to what's on a '63/64. The front bumpers on the '65 are dished at the top to allow the clam shell to retract. 63 hood spears are different in that they have a rib running down the center and the hole for the emblem is different and is set at a different angle than the '64/'65's (which are the same.)

At these kinds of prices, logic should tell you it's time to reproduce them yourself and cash in. As of this post it's at $730 with two plus days to go. Wonder where it will top out? Ed

No better information needed.

Your machinist is one smart fellow.

Re-read post #6 until you become a believer. Mr. Sweeney knows of which he speaketh. Then re-read it a couple of more times. Ed

Look at a picture of each side by side. They don't fit. The rear quarters on a '65 have a much smaller relief where the bumper wraps around the body than your '64 does. If you want to put a '65 bumper on a '64 (and I don't blame you, I've seen it done and it does look good) you'd be better off putting the entire rear clip from a '65 on the '64. Or as Mitch says. "...just get a '65." Ask my how I know this. I sold my '65 bumper for way less than I bought it for. Ed

Barris didn't have to do much but put the Batmobile goodies on an already stock Futura. Customizing a '65 would have been a lot more work. It's probably a lot easier to modify concept cars than production cars. The concept car was so popular, it was even created for children in the form of model cars. 1956 Revell Lincoln Futura Model The original concept car was painted red in 1959 and was featured in the movie “It Started with a Kiss” starring Debbie Reynolds & Glenn Ford. Following the filming of the movie, the car was sold to George Barris for $1. The car was parked in a back Hollywood lot and rusted away for several years before it was used as the inspiration for the original Batmobile in 1966. The Futura featured in "It Started with a Kiss" The Futura rusting away in a back lot The 1966 patent for the original Batmobile based on the Lincoln Futura The original Batmobile from the Batman television show About these ads <style type="text/css">div.wpadvert>div { margin-top: 1em; }</style>[h=3][/h]

Photos of the 1966 TV Batmobile

Tom, If you go to www.teambuick.com , click on the reference tab, then click on the year '63, you'll get a complete page on 63 Buicks. On that page there's a link to Options and Codes for Regualr MOdels and another for the Specials. Open that link and you'll see a rather complex listing of options for all large model Buicks. It's more than just something someone has slapped together on the internet.

Jim, Was the reverberator a '64 option? I have one but wasn't going to install it because I thought it began in '65. If so, I'm going to add it to my list of things to put on my car. Ed

Here's an interesting bit of information for '63 owners. It's found in the refernce section on the Team Buick website. Team Buick Forum It shows at the beginning a basic option for the Riviera of D1, S1, and T1. That would have been whitewall tires, an AM radio, and the remote mirror.

I guess you learn something new everyday. In my years of playing with these cars, I've never seen a single car that did not have a rear view mirror on the driver's door. Interesting. The only non-adjustable rear view mirror offered in the options brochure I have is for the flat mirror, not one that can be reversed. So my question is "Do reversible non-adjustable mirrors exist?" Perhaps this is why there is such a discrepancy in the placement of so many mirrors on the 63's. Makes you also wonder if the dealerships didn't install a mirror on every car that came into them and charge the customer for it. Ed

If your car idles good but falters when you give it some gas, I'd say that the accelerator pump seal is shot. When you step on the gas, the accelerator pump gives the engine a shot of gas other than what's coming through the circuits. If you don't get that extra shot, you'll bog down. Looking at your upside down pictures, you have a Carter AFB. The accelerator pump is on the top on the linkage side. There's an arm that runs to it. With the car shut off, look down the carb and move the pump arm. If you can't see a shot of gas going into the throat of the carb, it's not working. Chances are if the car sat for a while, that pump seal has dried out and it not working. Pretty easy to replace. I doubt if there's anything to download online, buy yourself a basic set of tools, and a complete chassis manual. You won't regret it. Ed

The Gran Sport option did not include springs and shocks. That was a separate option - H2. Search though the archives for other similar threads to see what others have done. I know a lot of guys have gone with a Jamco lowering kit. Coil Spring Specialties, in KS, has custom made a lot of springs for guys. Once you know what your suspension travel limitts are, you can look in the parts books from the shock manufacturers so see what length you'll need and what types of mounts you'll need on the tops and bottoms. Ed

In '64 the rear seat speaker was an option. If you're going to install an OE radio and want to incorporate the rear speaker, make sure that you get a fader knob as well. It goes behind the tuning knob and has a couple of wires running from it. You unhook the front speaker wire and plug this assembly in to the existing harness. I'm thinking that your flat wire already has the rear speaker wire in it. It should be a plug and play. Ed

If you want a mirror just for driving, not for show because there was no passenger side mirror available in '63, you might consider a 'Peep' mirror like the ones the street rodders. Here's a link to Goolge Images which show some applications. If you see something you like, click on the picture for the link from which the picture was picked. One application show the peep mirror attached to the vent window glass. Attach your convex mirror to the peep mirror, drive with confidence, then remove it when it's time to show off your car. https://www.google.com/search?q=peep+mirrors&hl=en&tbo=d&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS307&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=PX0FUYHEF8zvqAGppYCIDg&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAA&biw=1017&bih=477 Jim, I think a non-adjustable mirror came standard on all Rivieras, the remote mirror was the option. ????? In one of my brochures it shows the rear view mirror as an option, but it's the flat mirror that's not adjustable for both sides. The brochure does list the remote mirror as a dealer installed option and states that it is applicable for both the driver's and passenger's sides. If the mirror was an option, there would be a code on the Fisher data plate for the drilling of the holes in the doors. Ed